As tribute to his late swimming instructor, actor Enchong Dee has been offering free swimming lessons for kids since the project “Handog Palangoy ni Enchong” kicked off last May 2015 in Dagupan City in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines.
During the kick-off part of the program, around 50 kids received free lessons from the actor, in partnership with Bert Lozada Swim School. Then, in November of that same year, another set of kids were taught how to swim in Cainta, Rizal. Early this year, in February, 96 indigent children were the recipients of Enchong’s program.
In total, there have been around 500 kids who have already learned how to swim, thanks to Enchong and the rest of his swim team – and summer has just begun! We’re quite sure there would be more kids benefiting from this program in the coming months.
The actor had previously revealed that he plans to bring his free swim clinic across the country, visiting various provinces to teach kids how to swim. In a country filled with plenty of water bodies, it is important for people to learn how to swim yet a huge number of Filipinos do not know how to swim!
It is with great pleasure that we thank Enchong for this advocacy because we know that this is sure to save lives in the future, not just let the kids have fun while they learn how to swim.
Drowning Incidents in the Philippines
Every year, scores of people die in the Philippines due to drowning-related incidents. In fact, according to a study made by the Department of Health (DOH), as many as 8 people die each day in the Philippines due to drowning.
That is such an alarming number considering that the country is filled with various natural water bodies, including lakes, rivers, and seas aside from man-made lagoons, dams, and swimming pools!